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Dave Brubeck: Brandenburg Gate: Revisited

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s

Artist: Dave Brubeck
Title: Brandenburg Gate: Revisited
Released: 1961
Label: Columbia Records
Time: 34:35
Producer(s): See Artists ...
Appears with: Name
Category: Jazz
Rating: *********. (9/10)
Media type: CD
Purchase date:  2000.12.13
Price in €: 9,74
Web address: dave-brubeck.com

 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Brandenburg Gate (Brubeck) - 18:28
[2] Summer Song (Brubeck) - 4:12
[3] In Your Own Sweet Way (Brubeck) - 4:58
[4] G Flat Theme (Brubeck) - 3:55
[5] Kathy's Waltz (Brubeck) - 3:02

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Dave Brubeck - Piano
Paul Desmond - Alto Saxophone
Joe Morello - Drums
Eugene Wright - Bass

Didier C. Deutsch - Producer
Russell Gloyd - Producer
Teo Macero - Producer
Howard Brubeck - Arranger, Conductor
Don Hunstein - Photography
Seth Rothstein - Director
Howard Fritzson - Art Direction
Vic Anesini - Remixing, Remastering
Hank Parker - Photography
Randall Martin - Design

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


1963 LP Columbia 1963
1963 CS Columbia CS-8763
1998 CD Sony 65725

Recorded at the CBS 30th Street Studios, New York, New York. Includes liner notes by Dave Brubeck. All tracks have been digitally remastered using 20-bit technology.



Dave Brubeck's Quartet is joined by a symphony orchestra for the nearly 20-minute "Brandenburg Gate" and four shorter pieces on this LP. The solos of the pianist/leader and altoist Paul Desmond add a great deal of spontaneity to what could have been a weighed-down Third Stream effort.

Scott Yanow, All-Music Guide



The title of this 1961 studio recording refers not to the location of the performance (which was Columbia's New York studio), but to the "revisiting" of Brubeck tunes in new arrangements, by his brother Howard, for orchestra and the Quartet.

In its orchestral version, "Brandenburg Gate" (named for the checkpoint between East and West Berlin) becomes an 11-section suite which alternates purely orchestral parts and moments of improvisation by the Quartet members. As the basic theme is varied and embroidered over the course of its 18-1/2 minutes, it becomes clear that this is not to be a typical "jazz with strings" outing.

The blend of classical techniques and jazz works quite well, and the orchestra does far more than just support the Quartet: though the two forces are contrasted, they are equal. Brubeck in particular whips off some wild passages, and drummer Joe Morello injects some rhythmic excitement near the end.

The remainder of the album offers shorter and less complex arrangements of Brubeck tunes. "Summer Song" was a favorite which showed up in many guises; here it's a pretty, mid-tempo ballad. His jazz standard, "In Your Own Sweet Way," alternates piano and orchestral interjections in the head, then lets the soloists improvise (Brubeck and Desmond) over spare string backing. Howard Brubeck's "G Flat Theme" (he apparently didn't have Dave's knack for clever titles) sounds like a politely Impressionist film theme. Dave's "Kathy's Waltz" was first recorded on Time Out and is thus familiar. This orchestration is the only one here to use brass prominently.

Though the long title suite is more successful than what follows, taken as alternative versions of classic Brubeck themes, the album has its merits, but isn't likely to speak to the unconverted.

Steve Holtje - January 29, 1999
Copyright © 1994-1999 CDNow, Inc. All rights reserved.



Although always greatly influenced by classical music, Brubeck and band make the connection overt on this 1961 orchestral record. Brubeck's lasting impact stems from his ability to effectively combine elements of classical and jazz into one coherent sound. However, in this case he attempts to offer jazz improvisations on top of classical arrangements. On paper, this seems like a reasonable idea. "We were trying to merge the two forms in such a way that each retained its own identifiable properties--written variations for the orchestra, improvised variations for the jazz soloists," notes Brubeck in his 1998 reissue notes. In many instances, Brubeck and Paul Desmond offer inspired, engaging solo ideas, no doubt intrigued and challenged by the orchestral background. Overall, though, the experiment fails, partly due to Dave's brother Howard Brubeck's staid arrangements, but mostly because of the inherent disconnect between orchestra and soloists. When the two do manage to connect, it sounds at times eerily like (gasp!) Roger Williams.

Marc Greilsamer - Amazon.com



Four of the five selections on Brandenburg Gate: Revisited (1963) are new interpretations of Dave Brubeck (piano) classics scored by the pianist's older sibling, Howard Brubeck, who is likewise the author of the "G Flat Theme," which is offered here for the first time. By the time of this 1963 platter, the perpetually touring Dave Brubeck Quartet had played behind a few of the North America's finest ensembles -- commencing with a personal invitation extended by Robert Shaw and the San Diego Symphony in 1956. In fact, these expanded arrangements were actually done live before they were recorded in the studio. A similar fate befell material from Brubeck Plays Bernstein Plays Brubeck (1960), which was the Quartet's earlier orchestral collaboration. "Brandenburg Gate" has been significantly expanded from the version heard on Jazz Impressions of Eurasia (1958). The selection has developed into a side-long suite that includes substantial emotive counterpoint connecting the moody and contemplative strings and the swinging melodic contributions of Paul Desmond (alto sax), Eugene Wright (bass), and Joe Morello (drums). The subtle tension and liberation that exists between the two arguably disparate aggregates prevent either from overpowering the other. Likewise, spirited leads and improvisations from Brubeck and Desmond keep the elaborate piece agile and firmly rooted in jazz. "Summer Song" is given a stately update, reflecting the easygoing nature of the Jazz Impressions of the U.S.A. (1956) reading. Desmond once again reels off impressive lines that never detract from the tastefully understated string augmentation. The affective "In Your Own Sweet Way" has evolved from the piano solo that initially graced Brubeck Plays Brubeck (1956). The accompaniment is pronounced as it wafts beneath Brubeck's spontaneous chord progressions and nimbly executed keyboarding. As previously mentioned, "G Flat Theme" is the only tune debuted on Brandenburg Gate: Revisited. What begins as dark and melancholy dissipates into a mid-tempo groove that drives both Brubeck and Desmond into some very interesting spaces as they quickly adapt their sound to the slightly noir, but highly memorable chorus. "Kathy's Waltz" benefits from a more thorough examination, as compared to the Time Out (1959) rendering. There is a stately air present on this interpretation that remains conspicuously discreet on the more familiar outing. On the whole, of all the reworkings this one seems to be the most rewarding, especially as Desmond is backed with the lush full-bodied orchestra.

Lindsay Planer - All Music Guide
 

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